Jim Leyland had a bad (74-88) season as the Tiger's manager. Hopefully this season for Brad Ausmus is his worst as the Tiger's skipper. To make this come about, the Tigers are going to need to fix their starting pitching and their bullpen. Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Kyle Lobstein, and Alfredo Simon - plus a 5th starter (take your pick) is the starting point for Detroit. The bullpen needs a healthy dose of dynamite. I'm not even sure where to begin there. Al Alburquerque probably gets retained. After that ...
Agreed on the Bullpen, ML. Gotta blow that thing up and start over. Tigers walk into next season with the same personal under Ausmus and expect different results... they land up in the cellar again.
My thoughts on the season: Miguel Cabrera & JD Martinez are a scary 3-4 duo.[/*] The bullpen still blows. I have convinced myself that Mariano Rivera would suck in Detroit.[/*] JV is almost back...or back enough to be an effective SP again.[/*] I like what I saw out of Daniel Norris this year. I belie he's the 3 guy in the rotation behind JV and Sanchez next year.[/*] I am ecstatic about McCann behind the plate next year. His defense AND offense will greatly help this team.[/*] It doesn't matter at how well they hit (1st in ML), pitching matters (last in AL, 28th in ML).[/*] Anthony Gose; you will grow as a hitter and defender, but learn Comerica's outfield for the love of God.[/*]
Ok ladies heres my end of the year to do list. Im not gonna analyze this past season, we all know what they did. I want to look to next year and hope we can get back to the dance and make some waves. heres what I think needs to happen, Ill get into specifics on the FA's I would target once the season is over and we see how things shake out first thing I think needs to be addressed is the bullpen. its been the achilles heel for too many years and as much as I liked DBRow he just never seemed to get the pieces to make it good. he went all starters which is fine but in this day and age of pitch counts a bad inning or two and your picking up the phone by the 5th. Its imperative to make sure they have good arms in the pen. I question Avilas ability on a whole and we'll find out what hes made of this winter. If Im back there Im looking for atleast one lefty and 2 power arms. ditto for the closer, think power power power. Ill insert names later second thing is find a way to balance this lineup. the Tigers are notorious for building a team around all right handed batters, this is a recipe for disaster. there is always of course a limited number of lefties in the league that can do some damage but you have to find a way to make that happen, even if you overpay for a La Roche type. having lefties on the card will allow for so many other things to happen. even when guys like VMart step up (whos a switch hitter) the defense wont know how to adjust and the other teams coaches will hesitate to bring in a situational pitcher. I never got this far but I can promise you, there was nothing more difficult for a righty than pitching to a lefty. Its a big chess match and you need the right pieces if you expect to win third thing would be to find a nice 3rd starter. one of the very few criticisms of DBrow that I had was letting Fister go. hes a UFA and that would be where I start. he loved it here and was not happy that the team bailed on him. hes solid and thats the type you need in the 3rd or 4th spot. Im envisioning JV #1, Sanchez #2, Norris #3 or 4, and Greene. I really like this kid and if he recovers from his injury I think hes gonna be a keeper, trust me hes got the stuff. Also you have to get a back end starter and not a guy like SImon whos Jekyll and Hyde. If Avila is smart he'll let him walk, if he keeps him he better put him in the bully - hes not a starter next and lastly Im addressing the 3rd base spot. Castellanos is a floater, hes happy with collecting a paycheck and pulling a Delmon Young. although I dont think Nick has the skills Delmon did he shouldve been so much more than a .250-60 15-18 60-70 guy. atleast Delmon was in the outfield, no teams waste roster spots on 3rd baseman over and over again for an average performer. he also sucks defensively, his feet are slow and his reaction time is worse than Cabbys when he was there. he also thinks hes Craig Nettles and tries to one hand swipe balls instead of getting in front of them- I got news for ya Nick, your not even close to that level. If Avila is smart you shop this guy at the winter meetings and get something for him before everyone realizes hes Ville Leino
not sure who had a better year, Joe Nathan for collecting ten big ones for sitting on his ass or me not having to watch him all year
Tigers left-hander Daniel Norris announced he had thyroid cancer via social media Monday, and is planning on having surgery soon in order to remove it. Norris, 22, started out the season with the Toronto Blue Jays as a top prospect, but was traded to the Tigers in late July in the David Price deal. Other than the trade and his pitching talent, Norris also was known as player who lived a spartan lifestyle in a van parked at a Walmart during spring training. Norris made his announcement via Instagram, revealing that he's had the condition for months but decided, after consulting with another doctor for a second opinion, that he should complete his season first. Norris was in the minor leagues at the time he found out, and wanted to pitch his way back to the big leagues before shutting down in order to have surgery. ___________________ Here's the totality of what Norris said on Instagram (with some light editing for clarity): I've been debating for months as to how -- or even if I should -- share this with people. I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer. So now, I'm asking for prayers. A few months ago, after I was optioned to AAA, I found out I had a growth on my thyroid. Flying back and forth from Toronto to Buffalo after pitching (in order) to have more and more tests done, it was finally concluded that the growth is considered malignant. Meaning it contained the C word -- cancer. Hearing this was alarming, yeah. Weird, yeah -- that too. I was given the option to shut my year down and get it removed immediately. However, seeing another doctor (who) determined I could wait until the end of the season reassured my gut feeling. Just Keep Playing. Baseball kept me sane. Regardless of results on the field, I forgot about it when I was between the lines. After all, I was just trying to get the heck out of AAA -- and I did. I was revived with an opportunity, a blessing from God, with the Tigers, and back in the Big Leagues. So yeah, the power of prayer. It got me through this season. Now that it's over, it's time to get this thing out, so please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I undergo surgery and ome out 100 percent cancer free! (CBS)
And thats what they will continue to get out of him... about a half-million dollars worth. That means average hitter, average defense and average numbers from the 3rd base spot. I aint crazy about that, but maybe this up-coming season he turns into a multi-million dollar player making a half-million. *DONT_KNOW*
well said Will. hes worth about what hes getting, also dont be suprised if he has career numbers this year (which isnt saying much). hes looking for a big payday and batting behind Miggy and VMart will accomadate that for him. Ive said my piece on him and although hes young I feel like I got him pegged. If he goes gangbusters this year, we'll know he dragged ass the last few years and that speaks volumes Xmas is coming as as always I have a Tigers wishlist. Ill put one together soon, need enough time though. this year is critical IMO, you go for broke or blow it up - Im convinced of that and at Mr I's age Id say the odds of blowing it up are minimal. I know very little of what Avila thinks a winner is built on so add that to the mess of 5 very high paid players on the books next year and youll understand why this offseason may be the most important in years here. I shall return on this
